Has a cat ever saved your life?

[rickr]

I don't mean figuratively as in the paw print that asks, "Who Rescued Who?"  I mean literally.  Here's my story.

Some years ago, we shared a house with 4 or 5 cats and my tricolor collie.  One night while sleeping, I awoke to the most god-awful sound.  All of the cats were racing around the bed covers, screaming frantically.  I sat up; instantly, my lungs filled with smoke.  The house was on fire.  I looked down, and there was my lazy dog asleep by the side of the bed - oblivious to the whole affair.  

Thanks to cats' early warning, we were able to get everyone out of the house safely and alert the fire department, who managed to extinguish the blaze before it destroyed the house.  It turned out that the hot water heater set a wall on fire.  Whew.

I wonder if others have a similar experience to share... 

 

[zed xyzed]

OMG that is amazing!!  thank god for your kitties. 

 

[Draco]

wow, I am glad you are safe! And hope your kitties got lots of yummy treats after that!

 

[rickr]

Thanks.  I can't recall if everyone got treats, though I am quite certain all the kitties received hugs and kisses. I can say with certainty that no one was happy about being locked in my car while the firemen attended to the blaze.  Five cats and a big dog crammed into my old Volvo - I'm sure they all had visions of going to the vet. Yikes!  

 

[lmj1954]

Wow! Smart cats! I always thought if I had to get out due to a house fire that is what I would do is toss them all in my car. Wow, I would have

3 cats and 2 dogs in my Subaru! Anyway, glad your delima  ended well, hope the damage to the home was not severe as well. 

 

[fyllis]

Yes! 

Just this past April (2015) I was sound asleep when, at about 4:00A.M., both of my Boys decided I desperately needed to be awakened! Ordinarily, I would sleep right through their antics of chasing each other across my bed or knocking lamps over in the middle of the night, but this was different. They were both meowing frantically and pacing back and forth on the bed. Kricket kept licking and pawing my face and Keeker repeatedly bit my hand and arm... even after I knocked him off the bed!

Finally, I reached over to turn on the light and started to sit up and see what was so urgent. Before I could completely sit up, I got seriously dizzy and fell back on the bed. After a minute, I sat up slowly and tried to stand; again, I got dizzy and plopped on the bed. I tried to take my pulse, but it was so fast and thready that I couldn't count it, so I grabbed my blood pressure machine and was getting concerned when I got a reading of 'error' twice in a row. I knew something was very wrong!

I called 911 and went to unlock the door so they could get in and then I took an asprin and waited. They arrived within minutes and took me to the ER because, according to the EMT, I was in A-Fib. I was having another heart attack! I ended up getting another (my third) stent put in my heart and I came home 3 days later. My daughter had stayed with the Boys while I was gone and she said the strangest thing was that Keeker (Mr. Don't Even Think About Touching Me!) curled next to her on the couch and eventually followed her to bed where he slept right next to her. He does NOT do that! She told me they both kept a close eye on the door waiting for me come home!

When I did get home a few days later, they were both all over me - meowing and rubbing against me - for several days. They wouldn't leave my side. Even when I took a shower, Kricket would sit on the edge of the tub between the curtain and liner and kept watch over me and Keeker sat on the vanity. 

When I was at the hospital, I told my cardiologist how my cats woke me and he smiled and said, "Cat's are amazing creatures! This isn't the first time I've had patients tell me their cats sensed something wrong". We talked about it for a while and he surmises that they could have recognized a difference in my breathing and/or heart rate, or they could have smelled chemical changes.

I do know that my Boys are very sensitive to my emotional changes and I can often recognize 'my' mood just by watching theirs'! When I am calm and peaceful, they are too. When I am upset, worried, or stressed, they are too. And I can see it in their eyes. If they aren't happy with my mood, they glare at me as if saying, "Mom! You need a cat nap!". And I then know I need to take a break and calm down.

Those of us who share our lives with cats don’t really need scientific proof that cats are good for us, but isn’t it nice to know that they’re not only good for our emotional health, they’re also good for our physical health, and might even save our lives? 

 

[rickr]

 
Yes! 

Just this past April (2015) I was sound asleep when, at about 4:00A.M., both of my Boys decided I desperately needed to be awakened! Ordinarily, I would sleep right through their antics of chasing each other across my bed or knocking lamps over in the middle of the night, but this was different. They were both meowing frantically and pacing back and forth on the bed. Kricket kept licking and pawing my face and Keeker repeatedly bit my hand and arm... even after I knocked him off the bed!

Finally, I reached over to turn on the light and started to sit up and see what was so urgent. Before I could completely sit up, I got seriously dizzy and fell back on the bed. After a minute, I sat up slowly and tried to stand; again, I got dizzy and plopped on the bed. I tried to take my pulse, but it was so fast and thready that I couldn't count it, so I grabbed my blood pressure machine and was getting concerned when I got a reading of 'error' twice in a row. I knew something was very wrong!

I called 911 and went to unlock the door so they could get in and then I took an asprin and waited. They arrived within minutes and took me to the ER because, according to the EMT, I was in A-Fib. I was having another heart attack! I ended up getting another (my third) stent put in my heart and I came home 3 days later. My daughter had stayed with the Boys while I was gone and she said the strangest thing was that Keeker (Mr. Don't Even Think About Touching Me!) curled next to her on the couch and eventually followed her to bed where he slept right next to her. He does NOT do that! She told me they both kept a close eye on the door waiting for me come home!

When I did get home a few days later, they were both all over me - meowing and rubbing against me - for several days. They wouldn't leave my side. Even when I took a shower, Kricket would sit on the edge of the tub between the curtain and liner and kept watch over me and Keeker sat on the vanity. 

When I was at the hospital, I told my cardiologist how my cats woke me and he smiled and said, "Cat's are amazing creatures! This isn't the first time I've had patients tell me their cats sensed something wrong". We talked about it for a while and he surmises that they could have recognized a difference in my breathing and/or heart rate, or they could have smelled chemical changes.

I do know that my Boys are very sensitive to my emotional changes and I can often recognize 'my' mood just by watching theirs'! When I am calm and peaceful, they are too. When I am upset, worried, or stressed, they are too. And I can see it in their eyes. If they aren't happy with my mood, they glare at me as if saying, "Mom! You need a cat nap!". And I then know I need to take a break and calm down.

Those of us who share our lives with cats don’t really need scientific proof that cats are good for us, but isn’t it nice to know that they’re not only good for our emotional health, they’re also good for our physical health, and might even save our lives? 

What an amazing story.  You are so lucky to have such sensitive and loving companions.

 

[rickr]

 
<snip> Anyway, glad your delima  ended well, hope the damage to the home was not severe as well. 

Thanks.  There wasn't too much damage.  The fireman actually did more damage than the fire, itself - they had to tear into some walls to make sure no burning embers remained.  And then of course there was all the water.  What a mess.  But everything ended well.  Whew.

 

[zed xyzed]

 
Yes! 

Just this past April (2015) I was sound asleep when, at about 4:00A.M., both of my Boys decided I desperately needed to be awakened! Ordinarily, I would sleep right through their antics of chasing each other across my bed or knocking lamps over in the middle of the night, but this was different. They were both meowing frantically and pacing back and forth on the bed. Kricket kept licking and pawing my face and Keeker repeatedly bit my hand and arm... even after I knocked him off the bed!

Finally, I reached over to turn on the light and started to sit up and see what was so urgent. Before I could completely sit up, I got seriously dizzy and fell back on the bed. After a minute, I sat up slowly and tried to stand; again, I got dizzy and plopped on the bed. I tried to take my pulse, but it was so fast and thready that I couldn't count it, so I grabbed my blood pressure machine and was getting concerned when I got a reading of 'error' twice in a row. I knew something was very wrong!

I called 911 and went to unlock the door so they could get in and then I took an asprin and waited. They arrived within minutes and took me to the ER because, according to the EMT, I was in A-Fib. I was having another heart attack! I ended up getting another (my third) stent put in my heart and I came home 3 days later. My daughter had stayed with the Boys while I was gone and she said the strangest thing was that Keeker (Mr. Don't Even Think About Touching Me!) curled next to her on the couch and eventually followed her to bed where he slept right next to her. He does NOT do that! She told me they both kept a close eye on the door waiting for me come home!

When I did get home a few days later, they were both all over me - meowing and rubbing against me - for several days. They wouldn't leave my side. Even when I took a shower, Kricket would sit on the edge of the tub between the curtain and liner and kept watch over me and Keeker sat on the vanity. 

When I was at the hospital, I told my cardiologist how my cats woke me and he smiled and said, "Cat's are amazing creatures! This isn't the first time I've had patients tell me their cats sensed something wrong". We talked about it for a while and he surmises that they could have recognized a difference in my breathing and/or heart rate, or they could have smelled chemical changes.

I do know that my Boys are very sensitive to my emotional changes and I can often recognize 'my' mood just by watching theirs'! When I am calm and peaceful, they are too. When I am upset, worried, or stressed, they are too. And I can see it in their eyes. If they aren't happy with my mood, they glare at me as if saying, "Mom! You need a cat nap!". And I then know I need to take a break and calm down.

Those of us who share our lives with cats don’t really need scientific proof that cats are good for us, but isn’t it nice to know that they’re not only good for our emotional health, they’re also good for our physical health, and might even save our lives? 

Your little furry guardian angels are looking out for you. 

 

[lmj1954]

 
Thanks.  There wasn't too much damage.  The fireman actually did more damage than the fire, itself - they had to tear into some walls to make sure no burning embers remained.  And then of course there was all the water.  What a mess.  But everything ended well.  Whew.

I know what you mean! I called the fire dept. because I smelled a strong burning smell coming from behind my fridge, they came and swung that fridge around

so fast and knocked a good chunk of plaster  off the wall. Anyway some part had gone kaput and I needed a new fridge and there was no fire. My mess was

not as bad as yours. 

 

[zenciljim]

My cat just sleeps all the time xD

 

[rpandcat]

Wow--those are amazing stories. I don't have any stories like that, and am grateful. But I hope she would come through...